Ice cream float

The Ice Cream Float, also known as a soda float or a spider, is a beverage that consists of ice cream in either a soft drink or in a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water.

Etymology

The term "Ice Cream Float" is derived from the floating dollops of ice cream in a sea of fizzy soda. The name "Boston Cooler" is specific to the Detroit area and refers to a float made with Vernors ginger ale and vanilla ice cream. Despite the name, it has no known connections to Boston, Massachusetts.

History

The Ice Cream Float was invented by Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874 during the Franklin Institute's semi-centennial celebration. The traditional story is that, on a particularly hot day, Green ran out of ice for the flavored drinks he was selling and used vanilla ice cream from a neighboring vendor to keep the drinks cold.

Variations

There are several variations of the Ice Cream Float, including the Root Beer Float, the Coke Float, and the Boston Cooler. The Boston Cooler, despite its name, is a drink that originated in Detroit and is typically made with Vernors ginger ale and vanilla ice cream.

Preparation

To prepare an Ice Cream Float, a few scoops of ice cream are added to a tall glass, followed by the pouring of a carbonated beverage over the ice cream until the glass is filled. A straw and a long spoon are typically provided for consumption.

See Also

• List of desserts
• List of drinks
• Sundae
• Milkshake

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  A soda jerk preparing an ice cream float
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  A lime spider ice cream float
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  A beer float with ice cream
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  A Boston Cooler ice cream float
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  A cream soda ice cream float
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  A classic root beer float